Newletters
Cross signals
Dear ER:
Do the complainers remember that they signed the California Residential Disclosure Report when they purchased their homes (“City prosecutor building a case against Cross Fit gym,” ER April 30, 2015)? When you buy a home near a commercially zoned area you are made aware of the potential impact.
I loved that the gym owners welcomed a study, but the complainers declined.
I sure hope the city and its prosecutor conducted a control study prior to the gym moving in. The noise can’t possibly be the commercial vehicles rolling down the street that have a load rating of 32,000lb per axle, with a possible pothole impact of 731 psi, per tire. There’s not a human being on earth capable of replicating that kind of force.
These are the same people who complain about the sound of waves crashing on the beach or the laughter and joy we hear coming from children at neighborhood parks.
Peter Navarra
Palos Verdes Estates
Just say no
Dear ER:
Hermosa Beach is again putting out the welcome mat for new businesses (“City prosecutor building a case against Cross Fit gym,” ER April 30, 2015)? Don’t want bars and restaurants; don’t want tattoo artists; don’t want fitness businesses; don’t want oil. Okay, folks, what do we want? Imagine you’re a business owner looking for a new location. You have three choices: Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo. Where would you invest your time and money? I’ve heard the claims made by the neighbors. They make it sound like there’s a 6.0 earthquake everyday. Sorry, not buyin’ it.
Jim Sullivan
Hermosa Beach
End new letter
Manhattan soaked
Dear ER:
I am a keen follower of local government news, but I don’t recall seeing the details of the Manhattan Beach library’s financing before your article “After Two Decades, New Library to Open Friday” (ER April 30, 2015).  So it’s news to me that for nearly two decades Manhattan Beach residents apparently paid around $1 million a year to use a library that was decommissioned in the mid-1990s. I am glad that we are now getting that money back in the form of the new structure but appalled that such a large drain on our finances could go unremarked on for so long.
While I am in shock-horror mode, let me add that the large grassy area on the east side of the new library looks very nice, but isn’t it inappropriate to unveil such a big water-using feature in the same week that citizens are being told to bathe in a bucket to save water?
Bart Mills
Manhattan Beach
Heads up
Dear ER:
As an aging athlete who has played and coached both American Football and rugby, I believe if we returned to the old style of tackling/body contact we would minimize head trauma (“Heads up,” Easy Reader April 16, 2015). Tackling using your shoulder is more conducive to safety.  Using the head as part of the collision arsenal is creating many problems. I have had my “bell rung” when my form was bad and my head lead part of the charge. Shoulder tackling may not be as glorious, but it is safer.
Louie Pastor
Rugby and football coach
Development squared
Dear ER:
Watch out Redondo Beach. It’s not just about Legado’s development at Palos Verdes and Pacific Coast Highway. Another Mixed Use project is coming soon. More traffic, noise and pollution threatens our quality of life. The planned project, just south of Pacific Coast Highway and Prospect Avenue, now known as Sea Breeze Plaza, backs up to the alley near St Lawrence Martyr Church and School.
The San Clemente developer’s 1.5 acre site plan calls for 52 condos, over 10,000 sf. ft. of retail/office and 182 parking spaces. It’s just too much. Say no to overdevelopment. Attend the May 21, 7 p.m. Redondo Beach Planning Commission Public Hearing at Council Chambers. Yes, the same night as the Legado hearing, so arrive early for a seat. Keep our beach the beach.
Jane Abrams
Redondo Beach
A dark inner dialogue
Dear ER:
I have always been an ardent supporter of Hermosa Beach Police Chief Sharon Papa and our police department. But now that they are pointing a false finger in my direction and I have to speak out (“Chief prompts Chamber board member removal,” ER April 23, 2015). I was in attendance at the joyful community gathering at the Standing Room in Hermosa during the timeline of the election night incident.  I was outside, inside and for an extended period on the patio, hugging, shaking hands and participating in the emotional and energy filled triumph over E&B’s inappropriate drilling project. My voice and heart were lifted to maximum volume during the spontaneous mass chants of “No on O!”
Regardless of who may or may not have said what during that time, we’re now facing the additional wound of Papa and her squad using inappropriate, veiled threat laden, backdoor communication to bully and punish one of our own. In doing so, Papa also has chosen to indiscriminately accuse those of us in attendance on that patio merrily participating in our happy and positive family celebration.
If Papa wants to hold certain individuals “to a higher standard,” she needs to start by looking in the mirror. Though still gentrified and polite on the outside to our uniformed officers, this latest questionable act by Papa and her squad have caused me to be outraged and personally highly offended, to the point that my inner dialog is now angrily chanting “F… the police!”
Rick Ciampa
Hermosa Beach
Money matters
Dear ER:
It has been an honor serving our city since 1969, but even more so serving for the past eight years as your councilmember. As sad as I am to be termed out, I am excited that our district will have the opportunity to be represented by another resident who has taken an active interest in the community for the last 10 years, understands the issues that we are dealing with and has the personal qualities and real life experience to move us forward.
We are dealing with a particularly trying time in our history that requires strong leadership from our City Council to stabilize and improve our local economy.
We’re just coming out of the worst financial time since the Great Depression. Even though we all want to maintain our high quality of life, we are all too aware that additional funding for our essential city services, including public safety and education, is not where it needs to be.
Furthermore, Redondo residents have demonstrated that they hardly want to shop, eat and spend their time in our waterfront area. We need a solution that finally provides them with the incentive to stay here instead of traveling to other cities in the South Bay. The only way your city council can ensure an increase in those revenues we know will be needed to sustain our city is to increase the viability of our harbor and pier area – providing for our residents’ well being.
District 3 Christian Horvath understands that the hardworking families of Redondo Beach deserve more and supports the pier revitalization project that will give our community the funds needed to maintain and improve the top-quality educational resources and essential city services we deserve.
Christian’s actions don’t stop there. Christian has been volunteering in the community for the entire 10 years that he’s been living in District 3. Recently, he helped target park improvement projects in our district. Before that, he registered over 6,000 Redondo Beach residents for the Blue Zones Project as a member of Leadership Redondo, and he’s been appointed to both the Harbor Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. With his community spirit and contemporary nature, he helped co-found TedXRedondoBeach. And the list goes on.
Christian’s actions have spoken louder than any of the shallow promises some candidates make. I know that he wants to be councilmember so that he can continue to improve the community that we all love.
That’s why I support Christian Horvath for District 3 City Councilmember. I trust that he will represent our district and lead us in the right direction. Please join me in voting for Christian Horvath, and remember it’s only a vote-by-mail election, so don’t forget to mail it in!
Pat Aust
Councilman, District 3
Redondo Beach
Follow the money
Dear ER:
Special interests are counting on District 3 voters in Redondo either not voting, or being mislead by trivial issue mud slinging. Let’s take a moment to consider a significant issue.
Controlling interests in two development groups, both with pending profitable project decisions, made very large contributions to the Christian Horvath campaign. N. Francisca hotel developer Mohamad Pournamdari contributed $4,000 directly and a CenterCal contributed $6,000 indirectly through the Redondo Chamber of Commerce PAC. Horvath has returned the first large sum, but only after tap dancing around the issue. Now, an even larger contribution has come to light, but Horvath remains silent and is letting the Redondo Chamber do his spin doctoring for him. Leopards don’t change their spots. Is Horvath really going to vote as your representative on critical issues, or just follow his purse string handlers?
Development proposals should be fully defined and stand on merit, not just railroaded through on limited facts using age old behind the scenes pay-to-play influence.
Redondo Beach Measure B on the March 3 ballot, which would have rezoned the AES property to allowed a mixed used development) was the latest in a long string of such failures. Either Horvath did not fully understand it, or he chose to look the other way. Special interest are scared to death of a disclose-all master plan, but are only wasting time continuing to oppose one.
Redondo District 3 residents can improve balanced representation on the council, but only by taking a few moments right now by mailing back that ballot with a vote for Candace Allen Nafissi as an independent candidate supporting real progress on balanced waterfront revitalization.
Gary Ohst
Redondo Beach
Dual chambers
Dear ER:
The only thing the Redondo Beach District 3 Candace Allen Nafissi campaign has going on right now is attempting to slam candidate Christian Horvath on the financial donations issue. The mastery in their art of wording deceives the unknowing into believing all this money is going to Horvath.  It is not. There is an organization that has been facilitated by a number of business leaders within Redondo, who are part of the Chamber. This organization interviewed both Nafissi and Horvath and considered their ability to make a difference within Redondo’s businesses.  Both of these candidates were looking for the endorsement of the Chamber. It is ironic that the campaign for Nafissi, who works for another the Los Angeles Chamber, is set on slandering not only the Chamber but also anyone associated with it.
The Political Action Committee (PAC) was set-up to make sure an appropriate person gets elected. I am not a member of the group, but I believe they want to help change Redondo Beach from being such a horrible place to do business to a place where businesses thrive.
Having the pleasure of knowing Horvath, I can tell you that he has made many requests to keep the campaign honest and focused on the issues of the city and more specifically, District 3. Â The bottom line is that we are seeing the latest tactics of a bunch of bullies and thugs who are ruining the spirit of a friendly community. This has been growing over the years and the same people who vandalized the AES sign, ignore the laws of our city and worst of all bring down the friendly spirit of our community are once again targeting the nice people of Redondo Beach. Â This has to come to an end and we have to work together, not against each other. Â Please help to stop the bullying in Redondo Beach
Chris Voisey
Redondo Beach
Down from the hill
Dear ER:
We moved from Palos Verdes to Redondo Beach a few years ago to downsize and enjoy the beach and the waterfront. It didn’t take long to find out that something was very wrong with the way Redondo Beach is managed. The power plant company AES and the Chamber of Commerce pretty much run the town and the majority of City Hall officials. Soon after we got here Mayor Aspel and his council majority voted to give away the waterfront to some shopping center development company, taking our valuable coastal land away from the citizens and gifting it to a private corporation to do with as they pleased. Next, we watched Mayor Aspel and the Chamber of Commerce being the head cheerleaders for AES’s scheme to bypass the normal planning process with “Measure B.” This measure would have given AES power to do as they pleased with their side of the waterfront, causing extreme increases in traffic and a huge condo-commercial development to nearly match the monster that is there now. Mayor Aspel and friends vetoed Councilman Bill Brand’s motion to put this up to the vote of the people, shutting the rest of us out completely.
My vision was to continue making the improvements to the pier that have already started under public ownership and work our way around the waterfront to retrofit and beautify everything to match a new and better plan. I am in touch with two non-profit organizations that will help us with funding and will keep the waterfront in the hands of the people of Redondo Beach. One is the “Trust For Public Land.” The other is “Rails To Trails.”
We need to change the culture of City Hall with qualified elected officials. We are so very fortunate to have Candace Allen Nafissi running for the city council District 3 seat. Â I’ve known Candace since she and our granddaughters went to school together.
Barbara Epstein
Redondo Beach
